The Gaza Buds Carnival will give children at the Al Thumama Complex the chance to take part in numerous activities during Ramadan.
Qatar Tourism and the Orphan Care Center (Dreama) held entertaining and sporting activities for Palestinian children evacuated from Gaza to Doha.
Held under the title Gaza Buds Carnival, the event provided the children at the Al Thumama Complex — where Palestinian evacuees are currently residing — with numerous activities.
Prominent pan-Arab children’s television channel, Spacetoon, also participated in the event with entertaining shows and activities for the children, from face painting to colouring.
Running until March 23, the events aim to provide the children with psychological support and bring in joy during Ramadan, as they mark the holy month away from their homeland due to the ongoing genocidal war on Gaza.
The children are among hundreds that Qatar has evacuated since the beginning of the war, mostly for treatment and individuals with special cases.
On December 3, Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani launched an initiative to sponsor 3,000 orphans and treat 1,500 injured Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli war in Gaza has killed at least 31,923 Palestinians and injured 74,096 others while displacing more than 80 percent of the population.
Last month, UNICEF estimated that the war separated at least 17,000 children in Gaza from their parents.
As of Tuesday, Qatar evacuated the 19th batch of wounded Palestinians, though it remains unclear how many have been evacuated.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Qatar and Turkey reunited wounded Palestinians from Gaza with their relatives in Doha to ensure they receive treatment together.
Local entities have been organising almost daily activities for the evacuated children in Doha to provide them with much-needed psychosocial support.
In January, the evacuees got to experience the AFC Asian Cup 2023 enthusiasm as part of a beIN Sports initiative aimed at providing match screenings of the tournament.
Attacks intensify amid ceasefire talks
The evacuations of Palestinians come as Gaza’s local health sector struggles to treat tens of thousands of wounded amid an absence of medical supplies and basic resources.
The Israeli war and complete blockade have left Gaza with only 12 partially functioning hospitals out of 36, according to the United Nations.
Health facilities have been among Israel’s main targets since the beginning of the genocidal war, carrying out deadly raids at the medical buildings while attacking doctors.
Since Monday, Israel has carried out a deadly raid on the Al-Shifa Medical Complex, the largest in Gaza, attacking hundreds of medics, as well as wounded and displaced Palestinians.
On Wednesday, the Israeli army said it “eliminated” 90 people at the medical complex, interrogating “300 suspects” and detaining more than 160. Israel has long described Palestinians as “terrorists” throughout its attempts to justify the killings of civilians.
The Israeli occupation forces set fire to an entire residential square near the Al-Shifa Medical Complex on Wednesday evening, with families trapped in the area, sources told Al Jazeera.
The Qatar-based broadcaster’s correspondent in Gaza, Hani Mahmoud, said on Thursday that the Israeli forces warned displaced people inside the hospital to evacuate immediately or else it would be bombed.
Mahmoud told Al Jazeera: “It seems like the entire complex will be destroyed.”
The attacks are being carried out as ceasefire talks take place in Doha indirectly between Israel and Hamas in hopes of breaking the months-long stalemate in the negotiations.
Lebanon-based Hamas senior official Osama Hamdan said on Wednesday that Israel’s response to its proposal was “negative,” making it unlikely that the current round of negotiations will result in a deal.
On Tuesday, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said the Gulf mediator “is cautiously optimistic about the ongoing negotiations.”
Last year, Qatar and Egypt mediated a truce that lasted between November 24 and December 1, enabling the release of at least 110 Israeli and foreign captives from Gaza.
The deal led to the release of 242 Palestinian women and children from Israeli prisons, though Israel re-arrested at least 11 of those who were released since the beginning of the year.
